How should I match the feel of these two guitars?

[Jormyn]

First off, my guitars: An Ibanez AX7221 (that's a seven-string), and a Schecter Scorpion baritone.

The Ibanez currently has a 10-59 (B to B it would be 13-59) string set, and I'm pretty happy with how they feel. For the Schecter, however, I've just never been able to get something decent. The 13-62 set on it is way too stiff, but any lighter sets I've tried would bend sharp the second I fretted a note.

My question is this: Short of working my way through every single set at the store, what would you guys recommend as the best approach to matching the Schecter's string feel to the Ibanez? Should I just grab a tension calculator and work out the difference in gauge with the different scale lengths?

Cheers.

 

[Metaltastic]

Why not use the 10-59 set on the baritone and ditch the top string?

 

[Jormyn]

It would actually be almost identical to what's on the baritone now. The Ibanez set is 10, 13, 17, 26, 36, 46, 59 - on the Schecter, the low B is a 62 and the rest are the same.

 

[JBroll]

... they bend sharp when you fret notes? Sounds to me like either your action is high enough to fit a hand between strings and board, your intonation is off, your nut slots are cut wrong, or your technique is broken.

As for matching the feel... the Ibanez has a 24 3/4" scale length (posifuckingtively stupid for a seven, as far as I'm concerned, unless you want to tune the thing with a high seventh string instead of a low one) and the Schecter is probably at 26 1/2" or 28 5/8", so you're facing some difficulty there. I'm not surprised that the strings on the Schecter feel stiffer - the difference in scale length means that you'd be tuning the Schecter down a half or whole step to get tension close to the Ibanez and you'd still have the inherent change due to scale length nagging at you. Figure out why you can't play the Schecter right and lighten the strings up.

Jeff

 

[Metaltastic]

Wait, 24.75" scale for a 7-string? That is positively ridiculous...

 

[Harry Hughes]

Wait, 24.75" scale for a 7-string? That is positively ridiculous...

The AX series have been out for a while too.
I think they are pretty crappy, but I guess if it gets some kids into 7 strings, it's not too bad.....unless they just non stop chug on the low B string
25.5 inches is the bare minimum for 7 strings for me.

 

[JBroll]

I think that even 25 1/2" is pushing it - 26 1/2" is about the shortest I can stand to play at any tuning below C# or so.

Jeff